Who introduced you to chess and were you fortunate enough to have an experienced early mentor?
Here's my reply in another forum: "... the best game in town." Thread 161123 (Page 2)[/b]

My dad when I was about 7 years old.
Only ever played socially against friends mainly and on here.
I remember challenging my uncle to a game when I was still quite young.
He won of course and although I don't think he deliberately cheated , when I looked over the board after the checkmate both his bishops were white squared!!

Originally posted by vendaMy dad when I was about 7 years old.
Only ever played socially against friends mainly and on here.
I remember challenging my uncle to a game when I was still quite young.
He won of course and although I don't think he deliberately cheated , when I looked over the board after the checkmate both his bishops were white squared!!

Did you get a rematch?

I first learned the barest outline at age of 8 from an older cousin. Didn't play anyone till college, age 18, spent a lot of time in the Student Union learning chess from some strong players who loved to point out how many dumb moves I made

One time my Chem professor came up to me during a game (Professor Couts, a retired Admiral) and said, "When you finish your so-called game of chess and come to class it would be greatly appreciated

I had Two friends in work who taught me to play. I was 21 or 22 at the time, so I learnt quite late. After a couple of weeks, I was beating one of them quite regular. Friend number Two was Alot harder to beat though.

My great grandfather was a very talented chess player. Were it not for WW2 he would have most likely earned himself a GM or IM ranking. After the war he was from what I understand a different man with less interest in such pursuits.
When I was a little boy, 4 or 5 he first started teaching me the moves and how everything worked, he died when I was 9 or 10 I guess but he left me with a very strong chess playing foundation. Later in life while studying I lived with a man from Bangladesh with a Masters rating who helped me polish what my Great Grandfather had first fashioned. I got to the point where I would win about as much as I lost against him and I consider his coaching to have been a big part of my chess development.
But the credit for my love of the game must go to my Great Grandfather. I wish he was about and in something approaching his prime to see where I would find myself in a match with him. He was very old when I learnt my game from him and yet he was still (as far as a 6 year old can say) a very fine player.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby[b]Who introduced you to chess...?[/b]

My best friend down the street, about age 8. He beat me every game we ever played for 6 years. Then he moved away and I never saw him again. Sigh ... By the time I got to high school, I came to appreciate how well he had taught me, as I finished high school at board 1 on our team and ranked 2d in our league of about 8 other schools.

I was probably around the age of 6 or 7, when we were in a store with our family. My mother allowed my older brother and sister and me to choose something we could buy. While I went for a colouring book (it seems ridiculous, in school I soon found out I don't like drawing/painting at all), brother and sister decided together for a box with a collection of games on magnetic board. Chess, Backgammon, Reversi, Halma and others. Afterwoods they claimed that I shouldn't be able to play them as I got my colouring book and it was their box. But soon we played the games together anyway.

This must have been the time all of us learned how to play chess. I think we did it autodidactic from a really thick book. It had a golden binding (though not originally) I think it presented tons of different games, board games and others. The rules of chess must have been in there. What I remember surely is that there was an example chess game in it, between Fischer and Spasski, probably from the WC match. I remember only that the white bishop went forth and back annoyingly in this game. It's really peculiar how certain things just stay in your mind for all those years! I really got to see if I can still find that book again.

At least I was the most keen on playing chess. I often played and won against school friends. Our level was hilarious though - it was all about constructing great pawn chains and getting the queen out to harass the other pawns

I kept the game box until today. I hardly use it anymore, because board and piece size are rather for child hands. And a bishop went missing.. we used to replace it by doubled reversi stones. And as there were no extra queens in the set, additional queens were marked with a pawn on a reversi stone.

Dad.
When my parents were fighting over alimony, he came to visit us (i lived with other part of bloody family, unfortunately), and we played few chess games then. I won first 3, and suddenly I felt sorry for him, and I lost other 3 deliberately. He figured that out.

I found out how much it did mean to him at the time (possibly kept as rare sign of bond) only years later, in the midt 1980s, when we started againg t see each other more often (I have always missed him). We played chess nad quarelled about something, and I had a won position. He kicked all the pieces of the table. It took me some tim to understand that he was expecting to me to give up game again.